COMMUNICATE WISELY: UNLOCKING THE POWER OF SKILLED TALK FOR FRAGILE HEALTH BATTLES
Collaborative Decision-Making Workshop: A Platform for Collective Problem-Solving and Consensus Building
Take part in a thought-provoking workshop, funded by the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation, crafted for health experts, patients, and caregivers with a passion for frailty.
Frailty, a multi-layered health condition, demands tactful and empowering discussions between healthcare professionals and patients about uncertainties and wishes for future care. This tournament is an initiation into skilled communication tactics designed to advocate for effective and fitting treatment choices, mirroring what matters most to patients.
Learning Objectives in this Tournament
Across this tournament, participants will:
- Learn about communication tools vital for involving patients and families in shared decision-making.
- Reflect upon emotional conversations with patients and families concerning aspects of frailty.
- Grasp the importance of impactful communication in promoting suitable and efficient health decisions and averting unnecessary care.
- Learn about the foundational communication skills evidence and frameworks including perceiving perspectives and expressing risks.
- Collaborate in large group interactive learning sessions.
Target Audience
Health experts, patients, and caregivers keen on learning how skilled communication can influence fitting and impactful health decisions for individuals grappling with frailty or at elevated risk.
Guides
This tournament will be moderated by specialists in healthcare communication from Deakin's Centre for Organisational Change in Person-Centred Healthcare.
- Professor Peter Martin
- Ms Meg Chiswell
- Associate Professor Charlie Corke
Tournament Details
Cost: Free
Supported by the NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation
Date: Thursday, 4 March 2021
This seminar will unfold as a 60-minute interactive workshop from 1:30pm – 2:30pm.
Click here to register for the tournament.
In-depth Insights:
Effective communication plays a pivotal role in ensuring that treatment choices for people wading through frailty are fitting, respectful, and tailored to their distinct needs and preferences. Here are some key facets of skilled communication and its contribution to effective care:
Pivotal Elements of Skilled Communication
- Perceiving the Individual's Needs: Skilled communication involves recognizing the person, their family, and their healthcare circumstances, which is vital for delivering individualized care[1].
- Task-Related vs. Social Communication: Task-focused strategies, comprising both verbal and nonverbal communiqués, are critical during activities of daily living (ADLs). Social communication tactics like greeting and complimenting foster rapport and trust[1].
- Avoiding Elderly Talk: Employing straightforward, considerate language can enhance care outcomes by diminishing resistance and boosting dignity. Elderly talk, or childish speech, can have unfavorable effects and should be evaded[2].
- Holistic Approach: Skilled communication extended to encounters involving multidisciplinary teams ensures that all professionals are aligned with the individual's healthcare plan[4].
- Promoting Well-being: Tools such as conversation guides can help staff engage residents in meaningful conversations about their healthcare preferences, increasing overall well-being[5].
Rewards of Skilled Communication
- Enhanced Health Outcomes: Personalized communication strategies lead to better health outcomes and improved quality of life for individuals experiencing frailty[2][5].
- Strengthened Provider-Patient Relationship: Communication skills improve the bond between healthcare providers and patients, leading to more effective planning and care[5].
- Alignment with Patient Values: By recognizing and valuing the individual's values and aspirations, care decisions can align better with their ambitions[3][5].
In a nutshell, skilled communication is indispensable for guaranteeing that healthcare choices for individuals dealing with frailty are fitting, considerate, and suited to their unique needs and aspirations.
- In the workshop, participants will learn about essential communication tools that facilitate shared decision-making for medical conditions like chronic diseases, cancer, respiratory conditions, and skin care.
- Skilled communication not only promotes suitability and efficiency in health decisions but also helps avert unnecessary treatments.
- Fitness and exercise, mental health, and nutrition also necessitate skilled communication to ensure that individuals receive personalized care that matches their health and wellness needs.
- Aging and cardiovascular health are medical conditions that can benefit significantly from skilled communication strategies that focus on the individual's unique needs and preferences.
- The role of education and self-development, personal growth, and career development in skilled communication can be instrumental in making informed decisions and seeking appropriate therapies and treatments.
- Effective communication can help healthcare professionals and patients navigate complex discussions about goals, risks, and care preferences, especially in regards to aging and frailty.
- Skilled communication, when employed in the workplace, can contribute to a culture of workplace wellness by fostering open discussions about sensitive health topics.
- Skills training in communication can equip health experts, patients, and caregivers with the necessary tools to advocate effectively for the individual's health and well-being, particularly in the context of chronic diseases or frailty.
- Medically, Medicare, and other healthcare entities can benefit from embracing skilled communication by improving patient outcomes, reducing care disparities, and enhancing the overall quality of care.
